Home › Our Outputs › Output Group 4: Communication & Customer Services

Output Group 4: Communication & Customer Services

Overview

The Communication & Customer Services output group focuses on streamlining the collection and distribution of information from R&D outputs and positioning the corporation as a credible source of technical and industry-specific information.

The output group packages and delivers tailored information that is regionally specific to ensure that it meets grower needs. It also offers a range of mechanisms to help build industry capacity. These include a visiting fellowship program, PhD and Undergraduate Honors Scholarship, grains industry training and development awards, short-term courses and conference sponsorship. Grains industry stakeholders are supported to attend national and international conferences, while secondary school students are encouraged to undertake tertiary studies in agricultural science through the provision of agricultural training awards.

Inputs

In total, $5.3 million was invested through the Communication & Customer Services output group in 2006-07.

In addition, the Communication & Customer Services output group attracted significant co-investment from its research partners. The output group also relied on the skills and expertise of the people within partner organisations.

In addition, the Communication & Customer Services output group attracted significant co-investment from its research partners. We also relied on the skills and expertise of the people within our partner organisations.

Outputs

Enhancing the customer database

In 2006-07, the GRDC took steps to enhance its customer database to improve its ability to deliver relevant information to identified stakeholder groups, meeting their information needs and responding to emerging issues effectively.

To build database functionality and improve information flow, subscriptions in the government stakeholder category of the GRDC customer database were analysed, and enhancements were made to increase the subscription of government representatives across a range of departments and roles.

Segmentation also commenced for grain grower stakeholders. Soil and rainfall data were integrated into the database, to build an improved profile of grower customers and enhance the capacity for the GRDC to deliver targeted information that is relevant to growers' particular circumstances.

In late 2006, the GRDC commenced working with consultants and agribusiness representatives to improve understanding of the specific needs of grains industry advisers so that appropriate segmentation categories can be integrated into the GRDC customer database.

TOP

Improving the exchange of information

International symposium

In August 2006, the GRDC hosted the Future Directions for Agricultural Research and Technology-Implications for Australia symposium, held in Canberra.

Leading international agricultural economists joined a panel of Australian experts to consider the future priorities for agricultural research globally, and the implications they will have for Australia. Representatives of Australia's public and private sectors welcomed the opportunity to hear presentations not only on Australia's research, development and extension activities but also on international trends and thinking.

Grains Industry Profile

The GRDC continued its involvement in the Signposts for Australian Agriculture project, a partnership between rural R&D corporations, the Australian Government and state and territory governments, and the National Land and Water Resources Audit.

In 2006-07, the GRDC participated in a seminar conducted by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to outline the first major demonstration product of the project, the Grains Industry Profile. Launched in April 2006, the Grains Industry Profile brings together economic, social and bio-physical information specific to the grains industry. It can be accessed at www.brs.gov.au/signposts-grains.

Website redevelopment

In 2006-07, the GRDC began redeveloping its website to improve the timeliness and relevance of information provided to customers. The redevelopment focused on improving the accessibility, functionality, design, look and feel of the website, while catering for customers with a range of internet connection speeds. Important features include greater ease of use and the capability to support a greater range of information types and formats.

Harvest Radio

Supported by the GRDC, Harvest Radio addressed the most topical issues on the agenda for grain growers in 2006-07. By monitoring emerging events, using up to date research outcomes and liaising with industry, Harvest Radio identified and covered issues such as:

• management strategies to minimise the impacts of stripe rust and other diseases
• the latest developments in precision agriculture, in conjunction with the release of the GRDC precision agriculture manual CD
• nutrient management in cropping systems, including the findings of a survey conducted as part of the GRDC's nutrient management initiative, and the efficient application of nitrogen and phosphorus.

The GRDC also released a compilation of current Harvest Radio editions titled Driving Agronomy 2006. This audio CD was distributed to growers and advisers in conjunction with the GRDC's Ground Cover publication.

Building industry capacity

The GRDC continued to provide growers, researchers and others directly involved in the Australian grains industry with opportunities for professional development. In 2006-07, the GRDC offered six different categories of training awards as well as travel and conference support. This included support for 23 travel awards, six industry development awards, 19 conferences and 26 training scholarships.

National Youth Science Forum

To encourage students to consider careers in agricultural science, the GRDC supported the National Youth Science Forum, a two-week intensive program held at the Australian National University (ANU).

The forum introduces high school students to research and researchers, encourages them to achieve excellence in all their undertakings, and helps them to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. It emphasises pure research, applied research and engineering in the physical and biological sciences.

Three hundred students took part in the forum in 2006-07. Three GRDC staff members spent time with the students and spoke to them about their own journeys through agricultural science.

BHP Billiton Science Awards

The BHP Billiton Science Awards, Australia's most prestigious science awards, are supported by a partnership between BHP Billiton and the GRDC, the Australian Science Teachers Association, CSIRO and QANTAS. They reward 16 high school students who have undertaken practical research projects which demonstrate innovative approaches and thorough scientific procedures.

In 2006-07, the GRDC-sponsored winner was Megan Weller from the Kingaroy State High School in Queensland. Her project, entitled Are Peanuts Able to Effectively Germinate from Intact Pods?, looked at mechanisms that would enhance the germination rate of peanuts still in their pods, in the hope that in future farmers may be spared the expense and effort of shelling the kernels. As part of her award for Best Environmental Project, Megan attended a science camp in Melbourne and received a cash prize.

Undergraduate summer school

The GRDC, in collaboration with CSIRO Plant Industry and the Australian Pastoral Research Trust, provided funding support to the 2006-07 Summer School Student Program.

This scholarship program offers students hands-on research experience, working on their own projects, in world-class plant laboratories. The students present their results in a public forum in Canberra and submit a final report on their findings for feedback.

Nineteen students were selected from 58 applications from second-year and third-year science undergraduates. The projects that the students worked on covered topics such as reducing reliance on phosphorus fertiliser, developing novel herbicides against wild radish and investigating the biochemical and molecular basis for stem rust resistance.

The GRDC funded two scholarships in 2006-07, supporting outstanding students Heidi Waddell from the University of Newcastle and Kristin Griffiths from the ANU to spend three months at CSIRO in Western Australia. Heidi's research investigated plant-based management responses to salinity, while Kristin examined the way plants defend themselves against aphids.

TOP

Secondary schools program

In 2003, the GRDC and the School of Agricultural Science at the University of Tasmania (UT) established a program to encourage secondary school students to undertake tertiary studies in agricultural science. The program is part of a long-term effort to address the current and predicted skills shortages in many primary industries, particularly the grains industry.

This GRDC program involves presentations to Year 11 and Year 12 chemistry classes about the science that underpins agriculture and the careers available in agriculture. Students are invited to apply for an Industry Placement Scholarship, which involves a five day science industry induction camp followed by a five-day industry placement. These scholarships have been very successful: in Tasmania, 45 of the 116 scholarship students have since enrolled in degree courses in agricultural science.

The program also involves direct engagement with secondary school science teachers through the development of learning resources and the provision of professional development programs based on the latest scientific developments of importance to agriculture.

The program has been running for three years, both in Tasmania with UT and in Western Australia with the University of Western Australia. The program has achieved high levels of engagement; for example:

• 432 focused presentations have been made to science classes, contacting 9,400 students
• 116 Year 11/12 science students have participated in six industry camps and placements
• nine professional development sessions have influenced 208 participating secondary school science teachers
• five resource CDs have been produced, and 1,600 copies have been distributed to schools
• about 20 industries, 40 schools and 50 university staff/students have participated in the program each year.

The project has also achieved:

• ongoing cooperation from local primary industries, which become involved in different aspects of the program from year to year
• high levels of participation among undergraduate students, post-graduate students, agricultural science lecturing staff and researchers, who take on responsibilities in different aspects of the program from year to year
• an increasing level of awareness among students and teachers of the importance of tertiary studies and careers in agricultural science
• significant attitudinal change among teachers and high achieving students with respect to career pathways in science fields that underpin primary industries.

Succession planning booklet

Succession planning is a pressing issue for Australian farmers: recent studies indicate that the average age of farmers in Australia is 54 years, and that 25 percent of broadacre farm owner/managers are over the age of 65 years. Of the 15,000 primary producers in South Australia, approximately 27 percent will retire or semi-retire in the next five years; however, almost half of those planning to retire have no succession plans in place.

However many farmers believe succession planning is not a priority particularly during poor seasons. Moreover, succession planning can be difficult, time consuming and emotionally exhausting for the owner/manager and other members of the family. Few people possess the full set of skills needed to develop an effective plan, or know what professional help is available.

To help individuals and the wider grains industry develop effective succession strategies, in 2006-07 the GRDC supported the publication of a guide to farm succession planning. The free booklet was a collaborative effort between the GRDC, Meat and Livestock Australia, Australian Wool Innovation, the Sugar R&D Corporation and the Rural Industries R&D Corporation.

This guide gives farmers the opportunity to mix and match options to suit their circumstances, and learn through other farmers' experiences. It includes case studies based on 20 farm families from across the grains, dairy, meat, wool and sugar industries and some smaller enterprises. It also provides specialist advice from the accountancy, legal, financial planning, adviser and facilitator perspectives.

TOP

TOP

TOP

Output Group 4-Communication & Customer Services

Investment priorities	Achievements
Communication	The inaugural GRDC Growers’ Report, a reader-friendly summary of the way the GRDC operates, its financial profile and highlights of research investments, was published. The Growers’ Report 2005–06 was distributed as a supplement in the November issue of Ground Cover. In response to the ongoing drought and its impact on the GRDC’s levy-based income, a number of communication initiatives were put in place: To communicate to its stakeholders the GRDC’s response to the drought, an open letter from the GRDC Chair was placed in Ground Cover and other rural media publications. Regional media releases explaining the GRDC’s position were also issued. Interviews with targeted rural media outlets (both broadcast and print) were organised to enable the GRDC Chair or Managing Director to explain the corporation’s position and response to the drought. GRDC managers wrote to the corporation’s research partners explaining its response to the drought. These letters were followed up with face-to-face meetings, in which GRDC managers outlined the identified research, development and extension savings which would impact on each organisation. The response from research partners was extremely positive, with many expressing their appreciation for having been consulted and involved in the process. Ground Cover continued to increase in popularity among its key stakeholders—grain growers. As well as reporting on R&D findings, the newspaper presented case studies of growers who are innovative in their on-farm practices. The database used to mail out Ground Cover was continually updated. In every issue, Ground Cover subscribers are requested to update their details. To address the issue of cereal stripe and stem rust, the Cereal Rust Communication Campaign put in place a number of activities to raise growers’ and industry’s awareness of the potential risks of these diseases. The awareness-raising campaign aims to: outline the impacts that stripe and stem rust can have on production and grower income communicate the latest disease management techniques describe the potential risk of cereal rust outbreaks in 2007 and beyond identify cereal rust biosecurity risks to the Australian grains industry.
Customer service	The GRDC undertook a number of customer service initiatives, including: commencing a series of workshops aimed at improving the GRDC’s interaction with agribusiness and consultants, to maximise the two‑way flow of information launching the Integrated Weed Management in Australian cropping systems manual targeting advisers and growers in order to improve understanding and management of the weed seedbank through a diverse range of integrated weed management tactics developing in conjunction with AWI and RIRDC, a farm productivity report to examine trends in productivity growth in Australian agriculture, as well as the contribution of R&D to productivity gains publishing Agronomy after the drought—a guide to decision making in 2007, which contains principles and guidelines for issues such as disease, nutrition, rotations and managing weeds participating in the Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building project ‘On the fast track’ an exciting project designed to build the skills of people involved in capacity‑building activities and bring together current research conducting a southern panel consultant workshop, to explore, develop and facilitate areas of strategic improvement between the Southern Regional Panel and consultants podcasting through the GRDC website, to address emerging issues facing the industry
Capacity building	The GRDC continued to support the Nuffield scholarships. The 2006 scholarship winners were: David Jochinke from Murra Warra (near Horsham) Bruce Thompson from Temora Ronald Thompson from Chinchilla The GRDC supported the National Youth Science Forum, a two‑week intensive program held at the Australian National University. Three hundred students took part in the forum in 2006–07. Three GRDC staff members spent time with the students and spoke to them about their own journeys through agricultural science. Megan Weller from the Kingaroy State High School in Queensland won the GRDC-sponsored prize in the BHP Billiton Science Awards. The GRDC, in collaboration with CSIRO Plant Industry and the Australian Pastoral Research Trust, provided funding to the 2006–07 Summer School Student Program. The GRDC funded two scholarships in 2006–07, supporting students Heidi Waddell from the University of Newcastle and Kristin Griffiths from the ANU to spend three months at CSIRO laboratories in Western Australia. The Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) offers development opportunities for current and potential leaders from rural and regional Australia. In 2006–07, the GRDC sponsored ARLF scholarships awarded to Susan Findlay Tickner from Victoria and Chris Joseph from Queensland. Susan is a marketing and development manager for the Department of Primary Industries Victoria at Horsham, and a partner in a 4,000 hectare dryland cropping enterprise at Warracknabeal. Susan used the scholarship as an opportunity to enhance her leadership skills and to be a more effective contributor to the grains industry, her regional community and her own business. Chris a grain grower and  member of the GRDC Northern Panel from Dalby in Queensland hopes that the scholarship will improve his ability to help people on the land. The GRDC successfully completed a pilot capacity audit. The audit, completed in April 2007, will significantly contribute to the development of the GRDC capacity building strategy to be completed during 2007.
Indicators	Performance
Customer segmentation categories identified and strategies implemented to deliver tailored information.	In 2006–07, the GRDC commenced the development of an industry extension plan that concentrates on customer segments and their relationship to the corporation. Ongoing work was also conducted on developing the GRDC database to improve segment categories.
Organisational performance surveys carried out to measure the relevance of information, products and services delivered by the GRDC.	In order to minimise the effects of drought on the GRDC’s R&D program and industry capacity in 2006–07, the corporation made a number of targeted savings. This included deferring the GRDC organisational performance survey until 2007–08.
Increased participation by growers, advisers and researchers in the GRDC’s capacity-building program.	The GRDC supported 23 travel awards, six industry development awards and 19 conferences, and sponsored 26 training scholarships.
A range of educational packages available for teachers and secondary school students.	Through the secondary schools program, the GRDC facilitated: 432 focused presentations to science classes, contacting 9,400 students six industry camps and industry placements attended by approximately 120 Year 11/12 students nine professional development sessions (of two days each) influencing 208 participating secondary school science teachers the production of five resource CDs, and the distribution of 1,600 copies.

TOP

PREVIOUS – Part 2: Output Group 3 - New Products		NEXT – Part 2: Enabling Functions
	Home Preliminary pages Overview Our outputs Our organisation Financial Statements Appendices Glossary